SAN DIEGO, Calif. (September 28, 2010)—The American Council on Exercise (ACE), America’s leading authority on fitness and the largest fitness certification, education and training organization in the world, today announced that it has teamed up with the NuVal™ Nutritional Scoring System, a nutritional ranking system that guides consumers to more nutritious food choices and helps them to cut through all of the clutter and confusion of nutrition labels. At the core of this alliance, ACE and NuVal will work together to combat the growing obesity epidemic, promote small steps to a healthier lifestyle, empower Americans to make healthier choices and provide tools and education to improve quality of life.

“ACE is devoted to educating consumers about the critical need to engage in at least a moderate level of physical activity on a regular basis,” said Scott Goudeseune, ACE president and CEO. “But we also know that leading an active lifestyle is only one part of our mission to make healthy living an integral part of our society. Nutrition is an essential component of overall health, wellness and longevity, and we are thrilled to partner with a company like NuVal and show consumers how to make well-informed nutritious choices when it comes to food.”

Public and professional education will be the main focuses of the NuVal/ACE partnership. Starting in November, NuVal will offer webinars for ACE professionals, providing details of the system that can be shared with consumers interested in learning more about better nutrition. While the webinars will give credit hours to ACE professionals that count toward professional development, the information will help all people lead a healthier lifestyle.

Here are three tips from ACE and NuVal on how to stay motivated and fueled for a workout:

Don’t skip breakfast. Start your day with a healthy meal comprised of whole grains and fruit. A bowl of cereal with a banana (a banana receives a NuVal score of 91), or blueberries (blueberries receive a NuVal score of 100) will keep you focused all day and ready for exercise.

Enjoy a sustained energy boost. An apple is the perfect pre-workout snack. With a NuVal score of 96, apples are packed with a plethora of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and fiber to keep you energized naturally. Combine it with unsalted walnuts, which receive a NuVal score of 82, and you have a great way to add some fat and protein.

Stay hydrated and limit – or eliminate – caffeine. Keep a water bottle at your desk at work, and be sure to drink water before, during and after a workout. While drinking a cola or other caffeinated beverage may help get you to the gym, within an hour you may feel tired and too lightheaded to complete your workout, or to do it well. Most regular sodas have a NuVal score of 1 – the lowest possible score.

“We are thrilled to partner with ACE to bring clear guidance to Americans on matters of health and nutrition,” said NuVal general manager Mike Nugent. “By combining our organizations’ resources, and with the superior reputation and reach of ACE-certified professionals, we hope to positively affect changes in consumption patterns and health outcomes. We are dedicated to making a difference in the way Americans eat.”

The NuVal Nutritional Scoring System is a unique food labeling system which ranks all foods between 1 and 100; the higher the score, the higher the food’s overall nutrition. NuVal Scores can be found in participating grocery stores, where they are posted on shelf tags next to the product price and on in-store signage. Currently, NuVal scores can be found at Price Chopper, Hy-Vee, Meijer, Brookshire’s, Big Y, Skogen’s Festival Foods and United Supermarket stores, with more U.S. retail chains scheduled to introduce the system to their customers in 2010. Visitors to the NuVal website (www.nuval.com) can find sample scores in a variety of categories. NuVal is a joint venture formed in 2008 by Topco Associates, LLC, and Griffin Hospital. Retailers interested in learning more about the NuVal System can contact NuVal LLC at partners@NuVal.com or (781) 228-5800.

About ACE

The American Council on Exercise (ACE), America’s premier certification, education and training organization, is a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting the benefits of physical activity and protecting consumers against unsafe and ineffective fitness products and instruction. ACE sponsors university-based exercise science research and is the world’s largest nonprofit fitness certifying organization. For more information on ACE and its programs, call (800) 825-3636 or log onto the ACE website at www.acefitness.org.

About ACE

Founded in 1985, the American Council on Exercise (ACE) is a nonprofit organization committed to America's health and wellbeing. Over the past 25 years, we have become an established resource for both fitness professionals and consumers, providing comprehensive, unbiased, scientific research impacting the fitness industry and validating ourselves as the country's trusted authority on fitness.

Today, ACE is the largest nonprofit fitness certification, education and training organization in the world with 55,000 certified professionals who hold more than 60,000 ACE certifications. With a long heritage in certification, education, training and public outreach, we are among the most respected fitness organizations in the industry and a resource consumers have come to trust for health and fitness education.